


Karaoke Night

by Doitlikeagreaser



Category: Hamlet - All Media Types, Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types, SHAKESPEARE William - Works
Genre: Benvolio is dressed like he's from ABBA, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Drag Queens, Elton John - Freeform, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, First Meetings, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Karaoke, M/M, Mercutio in Drag, Paris and Mercutio are siblings, Questioning, Rosaline's unstandably uncomfortable around Romeo, Tybalt and Rosaline are siblings/cousins of Juliet's, bambi lesbian! Rosaline rights!!, except for R+J, how can we be sure that he's not?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doitlikeagreaser/pseuds/Doitlikeagreaser
Summary: The gang has a karaoke night. Shenanigans, of course, ensue.
Relationships: Benvolio Montague & Rosaline (Romeo and Juliet), Juliet Capulet/Romeo Montague, Mercutio & Rosaline (Romeo and Juliet), Mercutio/Benvolio Montague, Ophelia (Hamlet)/Rosaline (Romeo and Juliet), Paris/Tybalt (Romeo and Juliet), Rosaline & Tybalt (Romeo and Juliet)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Karaoke Night

**Author's Note:**

> Once again posting this for a friend! I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I did! Please leave a kudos if you liked this; comments are much appreciated, but please keep it positive!

Benvolio was driving the car, trying to avoid looking in the rearview as much as possible. His cousin Romeo and his girlfriend Juliet were in the backseats. And they were disgusting. He just wanted to survive the car ride to Paris and Mercutio's house and then to Tybalt and his sister, Rosaline's apartment for the karaoke party planned. It seemed ironic to him that all of the relatives decided to live together, except for Juliet, who now lived with Romeo and Benvolio. 

Mercutio and Tybalt didn't get along at all, honestly, none of the Montagues actually got along with Tybalt--actually, scratch that, _no one_ got along with Tybalt, not even his own relatives, but he had a radio, and they all had an evening free, and besides, Rosaline was going to be out for the night, so Romeo wouldn't have any issues. Paris wasn't actually supposed to be coming, but Mercutio's dad begged him to please bring him along, because Paris didn't really have any friends of his own, and Mercutio reluctantly agreed to let his older brother hang out with them. 

Everyone had dressed up for the evening, Benvolio couldn't believe he had been convinced by Mercutio to wear this jumpsuit, but he was also pleasantly surprised by the fact that he didn't actually mind it that much. Romeo was dressed in a ridiculous knight costume anyway, and Juliet was wearing a cute red dress. She was the only one in the car who was dressed remotely normal. 

Benvolio stopped the car outside the house and got out to ring the doorbell. The door immediately opened, and his face lit up when Mercutio threw his arms around him and gave him a big kiss. "Bennie! You're here!" He pulled away for a moment to look at the costume. "You look so cute!"

"Really?" Benvolio looked down at the jumpsuit. "Romeo told me I looked like Bjorn Ulvaeus in this thing." 

"Well, he is not nearly as adorable as you are," Mercutio said decidedly, and Benvolio got a chance to examine his boyfriend's outfit. 

"Dressing in drag again?" He smiled. Mercutio refused to ever retire the silvery, sparkly outfit, even if it made him look like a nightclub dancer. He was so extra, his stilettos even had wheels on the heels. 

Romeo stuck his head out the window, and shouted, "You guys look so gay!" Mercutio simply put his hands on either side of Benvolio's face and kissed him as hard as he could, and Romeo faked a gag. 

"Wait! don't leave yet! I'm almost ready!" came a shout from inside, and Mercutio rolled his eyes, and no one had to say anything to understand. Paris stumbled outside, adjusting his oversized glasses and pushing the feather boa back onto his shoulder. "I'm ready!"

Romeo and Juliet both let out an obnoxious groan from inside the car, and Benvolio thanked the stars that the window had been closed a minute before. He personally saw nothing wrong with Paris, he was just a bit quirky. It was a bit like having Romeo along when he wanted to be with Mercutio, except Paris didn't demand all the attention. 

Paris smiled brightly, and Benvolio grinned back. He was dressed up in a fairly good homemade Elton John costume. He had put rhinestones around the outside of his own glasses, so he could still see. "Are we going to have room in the car for everyone?" 

"If you sit in the trunk," Romeo shouted, and Juliet covered his mouth. At least she had the decency to keep her displeasure in the car. 

Benvolio glared at him as he said, "No, You can sit next to Romeo in the back if that's alright with you."

"Okay!" Paris said happily and followed the other two down to the car. Romeo grumbled as he scooted into the middle seat and Paris slid next to him. Once Romeo figured out that it gave him an excuse to snuggle up with Juliet, however, the situation didn't seem so bad. Though Paris kept trying to talk to her, and Juliet would respond, but gave the inflexion that she wanted him to close his mouth. 

Finally, after an excruciating amount of self-control not to turn around in the driver's seat and yell at the two teenagers in the back to stop being rude, Benvolio pulled up to Tybalt's house, careful to avoid the motorcycle. Romeo and Juliet were out of the car as fast as they could, and Paris was still sitting in the back of the car, watching them take off to the front door. Paris joined them, and the younger people rolled their eyes again. 

"Why do they have to be such brats?" Benvolio groaned. "I told them he was coming and that they had to be nice."

"Are they ever nice?" Mercutio replied, pulling him over for a kiss. "We're going to have fun, and you, my love, are staying over at my place tonight and we will cuddle. How does that sound?" 

"Lovely," Benvolio sighed. "I never realized how bad they are. But we'll see how it goes. At least Paris is enjoying himself." 

"Yeah, Father told me that he had never been to an actual party before, that's what convinced me," Mercutio said, "Imagine that." 

The two of them got out of the car, just as Tybalt finally decided to open the door, dressed in a red shirt with a leather jacket. "You look like you should be in a disco." He waved them all in with very little enthusiasm. "Living room's on the left, don't touch the knitting or Rosaline will kill me."

"You have a nice house," Paris said, suddenly looking very red in the face and fidgety. He had been as confident as could be in the car...

Tybalt looked at him with a bit of a smirk. "You look hilarious."

"It's Elton John," Paris stammered, and Mercutio watched his brother turn from a bubbly, awkward extrovert to... a flustered, bespectacled tomato drowning in rainbow feathers. 

"I have a CD of him, if you people want that," Tybalt said, looking almost happy to see Paris now. Romeo, Juliet, and Mercutio whooped, and he started rooting through the shelf full of compact discs, looking for something. 

Mercutio walked over and pulled out some cases with surprise. "The Village People? The Weather Girls? Sister Sledge? I'm not complaining, it's awesome--"

"Those aren't mine," Tybalt said sharply, grabbing them out of Mercutio's hands and shoved them back on the shelf as if to hide something and continued hunting. "Here we are, who wants to start out?"

Romeo and Juliet volunteered, requesting a song, and Mercutio groaned like a wounded cow. "Someone needs to separate these two! Straight people these days!"

As everyone expected, they wanted to sing the one romantic duet on the disc, and Tybalt made them put it in and set it up themselves. They had paper towel tubes for the microphones because no one actually had real ones, but at least Tybalt had some high-quality speakers to blast the music through.

" _Don't go breaking my heart--"_

_"I couldn't if I tried..."_

_"Oh, honey if I get restless--"_

_"Baby, you're not that kind..."_

Mercutio buried his face in Benvolio's shoulder the entire performance, still omitting the disgusted moan, but it soon became almost purring when Benvolio rested his head back on the couch and let Mercutio under his long, floppy sleeve. The cape that was with his own outfit wasn't quite warm enough. "Why do they do this to us? Subject us to their straight mush?"

The couple was singing very close to each other, and it felt to the audience that there was some sort of undertone that meant that everyone else should leave the room. Tybalt was watching them with a sort of grin, almost as if he was enjoying it. Paris was seated on the other side of Benvolio and Mercutio, but he kept stealing glances at the tougher person next to them, then back at his lap. 

"You two have no sense of harmonies," Mercutio complained after they finished, "I can't believe you could call yourselves musicians after that." 

Paris stood up awkwardly, accidentally toppling into his brother in a hurry. "Sorry, I was just wondering if... do you have water?" 

Tybalt grinned, this time a little more gently. "Yeah, we have running water here, you want some? I'll show you the kitchen." Paris fidgeted all the way into the kitchen. Tybalt pointed to the sink, handing him a cup. "I like your costume, by the way. It's cute."

"Thank you," Paris mumbled, almost spraying himself in the face with the sink. It kind of threw him off in a weird way to be referred to as cute. And especially by someone as antisocial as Tybalt. Even his own family never did that. It was quite confusing as well that he found this boy extremely handsome. Wasn't he supposed to be the straight brother or something?

"Though, I don't think he ever wore these on stage," Tybalt added, playfully hooking a finger under one of Paris's suspenders and lightly snapping it. 

"I don't own any belts, and these pants are too big on me, so I had to take some liberties on the costume, just tried to get it close," Paris admitted as he looked into his cup, face burning with embarrassment. 

He sipped the water, quietly watching Tybalt get a piece of ice out of the freezer and stick it in his mouth. "You don't look like someone who's done this before, been to a party," Tybalt said slowly, sitting on the counter and patting the seat next to him, and Paris apprehensively crawled onto the counter. He had never actually sat anywhere that wasn't meant to be seated on, but he had to admit, this was pretty comfortable. 

"I haven't, really," Paris admitted, "My brother invited me along for this one because of that. I don't know what to think of it."

"I'm not really a party person," Tybalt sighed, swinging his legs back and forth. "I just go because it's a thing people do. They wonder when you don't. I don't really want to stand out as that weird guy who doesn't go to parties."

Paris laughed a little to himself, feeling a little more comfortable, at least less stiff. "Well, I think I'm that person who could've gone to every celebration or get-together in the world, and I would still be that weird guy who doesn't go to parties." 

"Well, you don't seem like you'd enjoy the party scene, all the drinking and dancing and..." Tybalt waved his hand in reference to everything else. "I just read stuff."

"Really? What do you read?" Paris asked interestedly.   
"Just... stuff," Tybalt said, not looking him in the eyes. "You know, normal stuff that... men read... You're just too easy to talk to, you know that?" Tybalt asked, smiling again. "Something about you just makes me want to tell you stuff."

"Why are you so embarrassed about it? " Paris asked.

"It's not that, it's... never mind. Before I say anything else, we should go back in there before they break something," Tybalt said with a nervous laugh. 

When they got back in the living room, Benvolio was performing a heart-wrenching rendition of Love Builds A Garden. 

" _Sad to say, it's true, without a lover who cares as much, well, I guess it just goes to prove that love built a garden, grew it from the ground up, each one of us knowing every inch of it was trust, pulled it all together, hoping and believing that love builds a garden, for the two of us to dream in_ _..."_

Mercutio looked like his whole face was melting, and when Benvolio finished, he got up and wrapped him in a big hug. "I promise I won't leave you, I will stay with you always." Now it was Benvolio's turn to get emotional, and Romeo rolled his eyes again. 

"What is with you people this evening? All over each other," he muttered. 

Paris turned to him and quietly said, "You were kissing her all the way here. They've kissed maybe two times the whole way."

"Whatever," Romeo said, "Why don't you go up there and sing something soppy?"

"Cut it out," Tybalt warned him, eyes flashing. He was seated on the other side of Juliet, but it looked to everyone like he didn't care a bit. "We're here to have fun, not pick on people, got it?"

"Sure, I'll do something sweet," Paris said with a shrug. He stood up, read the back of the case to find the track number, then clicked the radio around to find the song. For some reason no one stood up to help him. The piano started playing quietly, and Paris looked extremely nervous.

Romeo leaned over to Juliet and whispered, "Your dad wanted you to date _him?_ He's twitchier than a squirrel."

Tybalt smacked him in the back of the head as another warning. "I'm telling you right now, knock it off." 

"Or what?" Romeo snapped. 

Tybalt cracked his knuckles, then turned to Juliet and growled, "I don't care that he's supposedly the love of your life. I will knock him so hard he won't get up again."

Finally, Paris opened his mouth to start singing very quietly, though grew a bit stronger. " _It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside, I'm not one of those who can easily hide. Don't have much money but, boy, if I did, I'd buy a big house where we both could live. If I was a sculptor, but then again no, or a man who makes potions in a travelling show, I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do. My gift is my song, and this one's for you..."_ His face turned a little pink during the chorus each time, staring at the floor, sometimes looking at the Capulets sitting on the couch. 

Juliet whispered to Romeo so Tybalt couldn't hear, "I wish you were singing this to me."

Mercutio, who had excused himself previously to get a bowl of popcorn and a drink strutted back in carrying a bag of potato chips, a blue plastic bowl, and at least five bottles of something Benvolio wasn't sure about, still balancing fine on his platform heels. 

"What is this?" Benvolio asked him, staring at the bottle he was handed. 

"Don't worry, Bennie and the Jets, it's just water, the seal hasn't been broken or anything," Mercutio assured him, petting his hair down. Benvolio's hair had started to stick up in the back, having set his head back on the couch. "And no, mine does not have any additives in it yet."

Of course, there was a yet added. That was how it was with Mercutio. "Okay. I don't suggest adding anything," Benvolio replied, "You're wild enough as you are."

Paris sat down, blushing viciously. Juliet grumbled, "Why do you have such a huge crush on me? I'm taken." 

"I wasn't singing for you, I promise," Paris said back softly, and Juliet almost looked offended. 

"Alright, you people," Mercutio said, taking a huge swig of soda straight from the bottle--Paris cringed--and standing up, "We've been doing individual performances, and... whatever you people call your thing," he gestured at Romeo and Juliet. "I want to see some action."

"I'll give you action to see," Romeo volunteered.

"Not that kind of action," Mercutio said disgustedly. "If I wanted that kind, I could get it. You're not the only person here with a date. What I want to do is compete against each other, like those shows."

"What? For the most iconic performance?" Benvolio asked, laughing. "You've already won that one, showing up in a short skirt and heels."

"Yes, yes I know that," Mercutio replied, posing dramatically, "But singing-wise. It would, you know, spice it up." he started dancing in a fashion that to anyone else would give the allusion of him being drunk. 

Juliet nudged Tybalt's leg. "You should challenge him. You could probably take him."

"I don't want to intimidate him with my natural spiciness," Tybalt said with a wink at Paris, who buried himself in his feather boa. "Also, I don't sing."

"Aw!" Mercutio whined, pouting at him. "Woman up and fight me."

After about five minutes of harassment from all the younger people, Tybalt surrendered and stood up. "Hold on, I have two Elton CDs, and Rosaline has this old radio, we can actually go at it."

Mercutio clapped excitedly, and Benvolio had to pull him down into the chair to calm him down before he cued up the music. He covered Mercutio's mouth before he could protest and announced, "Warning, this guy could get explicit."

"Me? Explicit? Honey, I'm never," Mercutio said, looking at him innocently. 

"You can't fool me, I know you too well," Benvolio replied as his boyfriend went up, giving Tybalt a threateningly sweet smile, fluttering his eyelashes. 

Tybalt growled at him, "You better know that even though I'm outnumbered, I will make up for it."

"Oh, don't worry, eat my aspirin," Mercutio replied casually, and Benvolio smacked his forehead. 

Romeo and Juliet hit the radios' Play buttons at the same time, and the most warped mashup of Elton John wailed out of the speakers. 

Tybalt's song started, first. " _It's getting late, have you seen my mates? Ma, tell me when the boys get here, it's seven o'clock and I--"_

Mercutio's started, he was hammering out the lyrics without missing a beat, despite Tybalt singing at the same time. " _I was testified when I was five, raising Cain, I spit in your eye, times are changing, the poor get fat, but the fever's gonna catch you when the bitch gets back! Whoa-oh-oh!"_

Benvolio leaned over to Paris and whispered, "Is it weird that this is kind of attractive? Wait, I should probably not be asking one of the straight people, right?"

"It's okay," Paris assured him, looking at Tybalt, "After today, I'm not so sure that I am. But yes, this is very, very attractive. Why, I don't know, but it is. The songs fit their personalities too well." 

Romeo and Juliet were rolling on the floor laughing, practically choking on their own snorts. The two singers were getting intense, even Tybalt, and making obscene hand gestures at each other the entire time. 

The show didn't stop when Rosaline walked in and stared at the display as Mercutio crouched in her direction. "What... what is happening?"

Benvolio turned and smiled at her. "Have a seat, Rossie. It's just a karaoke party. They're battling to the death." 

"Could I try when they're done?" Rosaline asked, tugging her skirt to cover her knees. 

"Sorry, this is a men-only activity, sister," Tybalt called to her, and she frowned. 

"But Juliet's a girl, and they're kind of female-presenting, I'm assuming..." Rosaline pointed out. 

"To debunk both of your points, Juliet probably has enough of Romeo on her to count as a man," Mercutio said, then gestured to his outfit, "And let's face it, no woman would ever be able to pull off this look as well as I. But Tybalt, we should let her at least try. I'm in full belief that anyone is legally allowed to par-tay." He beckoned her to stand up. She looked a bit fearful, noticing Romeo sitting on the floor, still laughing. He and Juliet could not get a grip. 

"Fine, my sister can do it, but only if we both go up against her," Tybalt replied, a sinister grin spreading across his face. 

"Okay," Rosaline said with a shrug, and Juliet noticed her cousin for the first time. She immediately turned Romeo's face to hers, distracting him. Rosaline breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't be getting bothered yet. 

"How about this--we both sing this part of this song, then she can take over the next verse after the first chorus?" Mercutio asked, then turned to Rosaline. "I'm sorry, we've never formally met, have we? I'm Mercutio, Benvolio's boyfriend."

"I'm Rosaline," Rosaline replied, shaking his silver-gloved hand, then looked at his outfit. "Do you always dress like this?"

"No, just for special occasions," Mercutio said, "I don't think Bennie would let me wear this on a date."

"That's a bit disappointing, actually, I'm not going to lie," Rosaline said, "You look flashing. Benvolio, you should let him go out like this." 

"Oh, thank you!" Mercutio replied, "You know, I usually don't get along with girls--" he side-eyed Juliet "--but you seem like a nice girl. I'd hate to beat you."

"And you seem like a gentleman," Rosaline replied smoothly, and Benvolio snorted. "I'd hate to be beaten."

Everyone got ready, putting the extra radio to the side, and Mercutio pulled Tybalt to the other side of the room with him, smiling sweetly at Rosaline. 

" _Oh, the joke was never hard to tell, threw my spare change in the wishing well, the dream alone is in your hands if that don't fill the boy and build the man--"_

_"A heart has many secrets, so I'm told, through the years, theory can grow old, I'm up to be the king, it's gotten clear, the voice inside my head is the one I hear--"_ The two boys started yelling the words to the chorus, causing Romeo to look up, causing Juliet's heart to sink. She loved Romeo but knew that his affections could be easily swayed like lightning. And she knew he used to have a crush on her cousin. Rosaline, though conservatively dressed in a knee-length skirt and cardigan, was still a very pretty girl. And when she started singing, it was pretty clear that the boys' vocals were not going to be enough to save them. 

" _The golden age was somehow bittersweet, but now the past lies sleeping in the deep, the peaceful days that followed hollow nights, a kiss or touch could feel like Kryptonite, praise the Saints that hung up on my wall, for trust is left in lovers, after all, a whispered word emerging from a tale, My wake-up call to claim the cursed spell--"_ With cutesy little dances, she blasted through her chorus, and Romeo was lost. Juliet groaned, then grabbed him by the back of the shirt into the kitchen, trying to get him back while the three singers shouted the last chorus far louder than necessary. 

" _Well, I'm gonna love me again, checking in on my very best friend, find the wind to fill my sails, rise above the broken rails, unbound by any ties that break or bend, I'm free, don't you know? No clown to claim he used to know me then, I'm free, don't you know? Oh, oh, oh, I'm gonna love me again!"_

Rosaline whooped, "That was fun!" She peeked into the kitchen, watching Juliet stealing back her man, and she sighed again in relief. _Freedom_. "How long have you people been here?"

"Probably forty-five minutes, tops," Mercutio said nonchalantly, fixing his glove and sitting down on the couch--or Benvolio's lap. Benvolio hugged him around his waist.

Rosaline smiled. "I really hate to interrupt, but I kind of want to talk to Benvolio for a minute." Romeo and Juliet were coming back in, so she looked urgent. 

"Sure, Rosaline," Benvolio said, moving Mercutio by the armpits, and the drag queen in question pouted at him. He gave him a kiss, saying, "I'll be back in a minute, I promise. My friend just wants to talk."

"And your boyfriend wants a hug, but fine," Mercutio sighed, and the party resumed, minus two members. Romeo and Juliet insisted on doing another duet, and Paris was watching intently. 

"This is riveting. I can't breathe," he whispered to Tybalt, who simply looked at him. 

Once in the kitchen, Benvolio asked, "So, what's the problem?"

"So, you know how your cousin is really interested in me, but he really wants... you know?" Benvolio nodded. "It turns out..." Rosaline blushed and looked at the table. 

"What turns out?" Benvolio said, nudging her. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Well... there's this girl who keeps coming into the coffee shop, and she's really cute, but she doesn't know much Italian, but she was trying to order something, and accidentally ordered a flower." Rosaline giggled a little. "She's Danish, actually, and she apologized, then pointed at my name tag. She thought my name was a flower."

"So, she ordered you," Benvolio laughed, watching his friend dissolve into moony giggles. "That is adorable."

"We laughed for a minute, then she explained that she had just left Denmark because her boyfriend broke up with her, and she couldn't stand being around him with his new boyfriend." Rosaline snorted at that. "I helped her order, then she went to sit down, and kept smiling at me. It seemed like that was the only thing that made her happy."

"Did she get her flower, though?" Benvolio asked, "Because she did order one. And I know you like Danishes." 

"Stop, I don't know anything about her, other than she's _really_ cute, and that I would like to get to know her," Rosaline said, swatting his arm. "I've never had a partner before. And she kind of... has this button on her bag... two, actually. One that's pink, purple, and blue, then there's one of an ace of hearts with purple and black and gray on it." 

"So she would fit in your realm of datability, right? She likes girls, you're a girl, she likes being around you." 

"You think I should ask her? The other day she left her receipt on the counter with a number on it," Rosaline said, pulling the coffee-stained paper out of her pocket. "I've been thinking about it all day."

Benvolio took the phone off the wall and handed it to her. "Go for it."

"Hello!" Rosaline said, more excitedly than she meant to. She had picked up the first ring. "Yes, this is Rosaline? Oh, that's a pretty name, Ophelia, it's nice to be able to talk to you officially. Yeah, I was wondering... there's a park near where I live--yes, that's the one--and I was wondering if you'd like to go for a walk with me sometime? Wait, really? Yes, Saturday's okay, is around two good for you? Okay, I'll see you then! Bye!" Rosaline hung up the phone and started laughing. 

"What's so funny?" Paris asked, coming into the room. He looked a little terrified leaving the living room, where music was blaring.

"I've got a date!" Rosaline giggled, taking Benvolio's hands and dancing around with him. "And she's cute!" 

"Oh, that's great!" Paris said, then whispered, "I just had to leave the room for a minute. Romeo and Juliet are being too icky and Tybalt is being too handsome for me to handle at the moment, and on top of that, I think my brother passed out on the sofa, so I needed some not-crazy."

"Tybalt's being too handsome?" Rosaline asked, nose wrinkling. "I have never in my life thought of my brother as handsome, but whatever you say."

"Well, your cousin thinks my cousin is something special, and I don't know what she sees," Benvolio pointed out. "So, Paris, you have joined the other several not-straight people in this chaos?"

"I think so," Paris groaned, sitting on a stool and putting his head between his knees, "I don't know what my parents are going to say about this, having two kids like this."

"Your parents are cool, they'll understand," Benvolio assured him, "Now, should we go back in there? I have to say, this evening has been a complete disaster."

"I wasn't here for most of it, and I think I might be happy for that," Rosaline laughed, "I'm glad to have met your boyfriend, though, even if he's dressed like he's out for hire."

"He's not out for hire because he's already employed," Mercutio muttered sleepily, his cape pulled around himself like a blanket as he stumbled dangerously over to Benvolio and buried his face in his shoulder. 

"No, he's not employed. If he was employed, he'd be getting paid," Benvolio countered, "Are you asleep?" 

"I am _not_ asleep," Mercutio growled in a mumble, "I _will_ not surrender to slumber. I will ride this out as the queen I am and stay up as long as everyone else."

"Does sugar make you drowsy or something?" Rosaline asked, pouring herself some water, "Benvolio, you might want to remember that for future reference, just in case."

"Please no..." Mercutio groaned as Benvolio gently dropped him on a stool. 

"Do you want to go home?" Benvolio asked him, and Paris stood up when Tybalt walked into the room. 

"Straight people, am I right?" Tybalt snorted, then the room went silent. 

"I'm half-unconscious right now, but did I just hear you admit that those icons in your shelf are yours?" Mercutio asked, sitting himself up on his elbows.

"I was talking about the nut-jobs in the other room," Tybalt said defensively, "They're sickening. What are you looking at, buddy?" There was nothing malicious in his words, but Paris still felt like a deer in the headlights. He'd been peeking at him through the feathers of his boa, figuring as long as he didn't see, it was fine. 

"Nothing," he said quickly, looking away from Tybalt's dark eyes. 

"Well, we should be heading home to put this sleeping guy to bed," Benvolio laughed, patting his boyfriend on the back. "It was really great seeing you both, and thank you for letting us use your sound system."

"I still want to know who those legends belong to," Mercutio groaned, standing himself up, "Someone will need to tell me the truth." 

"You will never know," Tybalt said, putting some cups in the dishwasher. 

"They're yours, aren't they?" Benvolio's boyfriend said accusingly, pointing a finger at him. "You coward."

"Okay, time for us to go," Benvolio laughed nervously, looking at Rosaline as if to tell her to hold her brother back if needed. He nudged Mercutio in the direction he wanted him to go, then called to Romeo and Juliet that it was "Time for us to go, you two!" 

Once they had dropped them off at their house, Benvolio dropped his head against the steering wheel, causing a loud beep from the horn. "I am so sorry, Paris, I didn't know they were going to do that." 

"It's okay, Benvolio," Pairs answered with a little smile, "I'm just happy that everyone else was nice."

"Especially Rossie's coward she calls a brother," Mercutio laughed sleepily, and Paris looked at him in surprise. "Don't act, I saw how he was looking at you." 

When Paris got out of the car, Benvolio sighed again. "That was disastrous."

"Hey, Bennie," Mercutio said, lifting his partner's chin, "It could've been worse."

"Yeah..." Benvolio agreed after a moment, laughing a little to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Meanwhile, the adults were having their own karaoke party. The Capulet and Montague parents were at each others' throats the entire night, Escalus was dying in a corner, and Friar Lawrence and the Nurse were singing Fernando off key at the top of their lungs and overall just having the time of their lives.


End file.
